Author’s note -- I cannot even begin to tell you all how very sorry I am. In the words of one of Lil Wayne’s greatest mixtapes: Sorry for the wait. The past 12 months have been, in a word, tumultuous, to say the least. I lost my last remaining parent and my two last grandparents, as well as had my car stolen, had to temporarily drop out of school, and honestly that’s just the beginning. As I’ve stated in the very first authors note, I am a combat veteran of the Iraq war, and I suffer from multiple behavior health issues, not the least of which is PTSD, and as such, these kinds of familial losses threw me for a loop that I am just now finally starting to feel I am coming out of. You have no idea how much your continued patience and support have meant to me. I appreciate you readers so much and I didn’t want to even touch this story again until my mind was back to a good place. I feel that time has come. I have barely begun to continue the story that follows, and I know this is but a VERY small taste of what’s to come, but I wanted to give you guys SOMETHING tangible, something to not tell you but SHOW you that I am back and working on it again. More coming soon. Thank you again, so very much!
Interlude: Sorry For The Wait
Ch. 15
“I’m...s-sorry you g-guys...”
“Watch his head!”
“...I can make it t-the re-” Jack started through the stupor, stopping midsentence from nearly falling free of Stella and Paul’s grasp as they practically carried him by his shoulders through his bedroom door frame.
“Don’t be ridiculous, sweetheart...I’ve got you. We’re gonna get you in bed t-”
“No! He is pretty far into heat exhaustion. We need to bring his temperature down. Get him into the shower and I’ll get in with him and-”
“
I’LL
do that...I got it. Just help me get him into the tub and get out!”
“Stella, I’m trained to-”
“I SAID I’LL DO IT!” Stella snapped, helping Paul with Jack through the bathroom door and sitting Jack on the side of the bathtub.
“You’re ridiculous! Let me help you, I know what I’m doing...you’re gonna get that dress soaking wet...”
“Well its ruined from grass stains already so, who gives a shit?!” Stella snapped, but stopped herself short of the coming tirade. She wanted to take care of Jackson, but so did Paul and she
was
being unreasonable. She was still going to do this alone, but she should be more tactful, she thought to herself.
“I’m sorry, Paul...I’m being a bitch. Thank you for helping me with him...but he needs more than his temperature calmed down...he needs quiet and...I dunno, consoling...and I think he needs that from me...” she said, her eyes earnest and pleading for his acceptance.
“you’re probably right... but look, not
freezing
cold water, ok? We don’t want him to go into shock, make it cool, and let it run over him for a while.”
“I will, I promise...
and
I’ll call for you if I need you, I swear!” she said, seeing him about to say the same.
With that she held up the quiet form of Jackson while Paul walked out and she waited for the bedroom door to close.
“Can you hold yourself up for just a second, baby? I’ll be right back.” She asked.
He nodded his head, looking down at the ground and with that she darted out to the entryway door, clicking the lock into place, and strode into her room. Before she got through her bedroom door, she had already reached back and unzipped her dress all the way down. In three more steps, she had pulled it up and over her head, throwing it unto the bed, and began pulling her hair into a ponytail, grabbing a hair tie from the sink, and was back at Jack’s side again, clothed in nothing but the black lace thong and matching bra set she had put on that morning, with a much different scenario in mind when she chose it.
“Ok, baby,” she started, climbing into the tub with her back to the water spicket. “...Now lean back into my arms...that’s it, sit down right here...I got you.”
She reached over her head and turned the water on cold all the way over and pulled out the shower knob, jumping slightly from the sudden burst of cold water raining down on their heads and down their bodies, causing her to grasp around him with both arms and legs. She listened closely for his breathing and paid close attention to the cadence of his breaths, which over the course of five to seven minutes, increased in length and depth from their shallow tempo before. She was freezing, but she was happy. He was here, now, in her embrace. All of the forces of the outside world that normally worked twenty-four seven to conspire against them were locked out, leaving them alone with the love she was prepared to fight like hell to reclaim. She wrapped her limbs around him, holding on for her life while whispering over and over in his ear, “I’ve got you, baby...I’ve got you.”
“I’m f-f-fre-ezing-g...” Jack chattered out through his teeth.
“Ok, baby...I’ll warm us up.” She answered, reaching again behind her, pushing the shower knob back in to the faucet, and turned the hot water knob until the water was a very pleasant, room temperature. She reached underneath of her, pushing the stopper into the tub to fill up, and reclaimed her arms place around her love.
